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Thinking of slashing your marketing budget during an economic downturn?

Perfect, if you want your brand to disappear while competitors steal the spotlight šŸ¤·šŸ»ā€ā™€ļø Yeesh! You might be thinking far out Lemonface, no need to be so blunt about it. As harsh as it sounds, itā€™s the truth and we know it because we went through it earlier this year when one of our largest clients went into a kind of economy-induced hibernation (things got very, very quiet.) There are a few things you can do when your work seems to be drying up. PANIC! The world is falling do...

We’re here to help with a new Brand Clinic

I'm hearing from lots of small business owners how tough it is out there at the moment. Money is tight, sales are down. I was feeling it at the very beginning of the year too.We got you. On Tuesday mornings bookings for the Brand Clinic will be open. These are FREE 40 minute consultations to talk about anything you may be struggling with, pain points if you will, in your branding and marketing. The aim is to provide you with some quick wins and recommendations to help you through without costing...

We’re embracing the change of season. Not even begrudgingly. Who are we?!

It suits our dark humour to realise that these hardworking trees blend into the background, looking gorgeous and doing a job we canā€™t thrive without, until parts of them start to die in spectacular fashion. Not unlike the designer whose tiny but so considered decisions are so effective they become invisible - we live for the drama, darling. Can relate. We see you.  Morning temperatures lately are suited to afternoon starts, weā€™ve found thatā€™s actually when the creative juices are...

Birthdays, chasing bees and passion projects

We're in March! Which means we are in the final stretch of Q1.Which means Lemonface Creative has just celebrated their birthday. Nearly double digits. Not long now before we become all moody, unreasonable, indifferent, non-committal and irrational. Best get your work in then while weā€™re still enthusiastic and keen to please, bhahahahaha.On a serious note through, weā€™d like to know what Lemonface means to you. What have we done that youā€™ve loved and what w...

January - the Monday of months

Weā€™re picking up where we left off and feeling positive about the year ahead.January can feel like the Monday of months, feel a bit unmotivated, slow to warm to the year ahead, hard to get into the groove, still in holiday mode etc. If this is you as well we have some tips to get you started in 2024, scroll down.Roadies...

Art Movements & their influence

Art movements have shaped thought on a mass scale for centuries. They inspire us to look at the world differently and to talk about our lives in ways that can change mindset and behaviour. Picasso taught us to look at people from the inside out. Warhol made us think about consumer culture in our daily lives.Looking back through Western history, particularly Europe, it's incredible to see how many art movements have made an impact on society. By tracing a timeline through different art movements,...

The things you learn from your clients

ā€˜Tis is the start of the season for giving, and that has had me thinking about all the knowledge my clients have passed on to me whilst Iā€™ve worked with them and their businesses.Iā€™ve found myself continually thinking back to important moments, conversations, or turning points with specific clients who have shaped, inspired and ultimately improved the work I produce for them. More than ever, I find myself sharing stories with my peers about what Iā€™ve learned from the very best clients I ...

A cautionary tale of intellectual property in design and the navigation of sensitive topics

Iā€™ve pondered on a working title for this blog and Iā€™ve eventually settled on A cautionary tale of intellectual property in design and the navigation of sensitive topics.So, this thing happened. I thought it probably would one day...Iā€™m a designer by trade after all. But when it did happen, it cut deep. Real deep. And Iā€™m not quite sure how to heal the wound.I canā€™t go into too much detail (as this is a deeply personal subject) but in essence somebody took something that was not t...

Threads, Twitter (X?!) or neither?

Instead of staging a physical cage fight, Meta owner Mark Zuckerberg is challenging Twitter's Elon Musk in a battle that could determine the future of social media. Threads launched on 6 July to great acclaim. But, are creatives, designers and strategists embracing the Instagram-linked app? If not, why not? Weā€™re nosy buggers here at Lemonface Towers so we decided to drill down on all things Threads. Read on.It's all anyone is talking about: the potential death of Twitter&n...

Melbourne - you little beauty!

Do you remember a time (not that long ago) when we couldn't travel? Same.I made a promise to myself during that time that I would never take for granted ever again the sheer unmistakable joy of being able to go somewhere, anywhere else that I wanted to visit. A recent trip to Melbourne justified that promise I made to myself. And it was fabulous. Here's what I got up toā€¦...

Graphic Design in numbers

Strategic graphic design is the essence of visual communication.Business cards, billboards, brochures, websites, brands ā€“ every facet of business incorporates some form of graphic design. Creating, memorable and successful graphic design is a crucial skill for advertisers, designers, and business owners.The industry and careersThe field of graphic design has evolved but shows no sign of slowing down. Businesses compete to get the very best graphic designers for marketing, advertising, and web ...

The year that was and the year that will be

Hi everyone and welcome to our first blog of the year.And what a year weā€™ve just had. (I think I said the same last December and maybe the December before thatā€¦ā€¦not sure, you can blame that on the ā€˜ole brain fog (more of that later).If 2022 was a movie itā€™d be a spaghetti Western. There was the good, there was the bad and there was most definitely the fugly.The GoodWe celebrated another milestone. We kept our heads above water. We remained afloat. Oh, and we changed our name. On the da...

Lemonface does semi permanent

Last week Lemonface Creative attended Semi Permanent 2022 at the magnificent St James Theatre in Wellington. After two years in which our lives were disrupted by the pandemic, so too has our perspective on the future completely shifted.To be back in a familiar environment, surrounded by like-minded creative brains listening to the great and the good of the design world was nothing short of cathartic.So, what exactly is Semi Permanent, and what is it all about?Semi Permanent brings together ...

Daylight saving - what's it all about anyway? And how to avoid feeling tired when the clock go forward

DAYLIGHT SAVING STARTED AT 2AM ON SUNDAY 25 SEPTEMBER 2022 WHEN THE CLOCKS WENT FORWARD 1 HOUR.During the daylight-saving months we are on ā€˜New Zealand daylight timeā€™, which is 1 hour ahead of New Zealand standard time.These dates and the time of the change are heavily publicised in the lead up to the change through television and radio advertisements, local council websites and national newspapers. So how come it always takes me by surprise? And how come I never know if that means MORE slee...

10 blogs to inspire your design

Welcome to our latest blog. This month itā€™s a little bit different as Iā€™ll share with YOU some blogs that I subscribe to. Blogs that inspire me, make me pause for thought, challenge my thinking, or just make me smile. Smiling is good.One of the best things about graphic design is that it never stands still for a moment. But that does mean that keeping up with the latest trends, techniques, and technologies can be a bit of a challenge. ā€œStand still at your perilā€ I was once told and itā€™...

We're in a right state. Of flux.

This yearā€™s theme, State of Flux, acknowledges the feelings weā€™ve all become familiar with over the past two years. Change, fluidity, comings and goings, staying still yet somehow always shifting - we've adapted and dare we say... pivoted. We can all agree the one constant in life is change, from the early buds to the flower, the wind and the seasons, and the eventual changing of the tides. Our lives are in a State of Flux.I got COVID ā€“ the long version and it was pretty rubbish for a...

Fergus the Fog. An uninvited guest

Iā€™ve got long COVID. I think. Not sure. Pretty sure Iā€™ve got it. I have some of the symptoms, not all of them, but certainly enough of them to suggest that Iā€™ve got it.You see, Iā€™ve been feeling odd since I tested positive and that was long ago enough to conclude Iā€™ve got long COVID now. Yup, Iā€™m pretty sure Iā€™ve got it. Because if I do then it would explain a lot about how Iā€™m feeling, and if you give something a name, then you can tame it (more of this to follow).Testing positi...

The importance of celebrating company anniversaries

As we get stuck into the new year, especially this year, we find ourselves looking forward to many thingsA particularly exciting event here at Lemonface Creative is our approaching 7th anniversary. Yup weā€™ll be 7 on March 1st. As the big day nears, weā€™ve been reflecting on the importance of celebrating an anniversary, and what all that entails. Anniversaries are more than opportunities to recognise significant milestonesā€”if properly taken advantage of, they can provide a space for all...

Motivation after the holidays

Returning to work after a break can be a slog. Youā€™re not alone in feeling this, weā€™re feeling it too.Youā€™ve worked hard to fully switch off from work mode. If switching your out of office on is the start of your holiday then switching it off most certainly means the end. As soon as that first morning alarm of the year goes off itā€™s all on again but becoming instantly productive is not always as easy as it seems.But the good news is thatā€™s ok! Weā€™re human beings, not machines. Itā€™s...

Gratitude (and happiness)

For this monthā€™s blog we thought weā€™d delve deep into the subject of gratitude and how this simple practice can bring a host of different benefits to our lives.With Christmas nigh upon us and the ā€˜silly seasonā€™ in swing, this time of the year can be a challenging. We all want to get our jobs out the door, finish our invoicing before the end of the calendar year and make sure we catch up with people in person (traffic light setting permitting) so we can say thanks for everything in 2021 a...

Brand collabs - what's that about?

This week many of us others in Aotearoa enjoyed Labour Day by taking the day off and not doing very much at all.Some of us planted our summer vegges, some of us stayed in bed and some of us did some DIY shudder.Lemonface Design did some of the above too, but we also made some special deliveries to some special people as part of what we call ā€˜Lemonface Dayā€™ the one special day each year where we give thanks to our clients for the work they have given us and the trust they place in us to give ...

You’re not working from home, you’re at your home during a crisis trying to work.

We work with a variety of clients who work in a variety of industries who have all had to adapt to these changing, unknown times. The one common denominator for them all is that for a period of time they have had to work from home. Some have loved it, others not so much. We saw a post (actually weā€™ve seen lots of posts) on the subject. This one in particular struck a chord with us....

Deadlines - they're a real thing. Discuss.

deadline /ĖˆdɛdlŹŒÉŖn/nounThe latest time or date by which something should be completed. Dealing with deadlines can fraught. Nobody likes to miss a deadline. Deadlines are part and parcel in the life of a graphic designer. The materials we produce are often used to launch a brand, support a brand, enhance a brand. And these are usually (nearly always) date specific. Despite the gloomy intro, this is actually an upbeat blog (so donā€™t run away screaming just yet). Because we can share some tac...

Behind the scenes

So, I often get asked ā€“ ā€˜OMG your job sounds amazingā€™ But what do you all day?Well, let me try and tell you.First up, and this is very important -  itā€™s not all glamour. OK kids? Itā€™s not. Sorry.Iā€™m a mum to two boys, two dogs and a bearded dragon and they all need feeding. One of them likes bugs for breakfast, one of them likes donuts, two of them are grateful for whatever is given to them and one of them sometimes doesnā€™t show up for breakfast at all. Thatā€™s OK, heā€™s a g...

A collaborative mindset

We recently picked up a very exciting piece of work. Bigger than normal for us admittedly, but still very much within our scope. Especially as we have recently aligned ourselves with some of the best brains in the region. In fact weā€™re in residence with them now in our very own shared workspace; The Other Side - A collaborative creative space for dreamers and doers in Horowhenua.And the great thing about being under the same roof as other like-minded go-getting individuals?Collaboration. Youā€...